sailing to the edge of the world

So, let's say that you're in southern Maryland, and you've just stolen a somewhat-top-secret jetpack off a military base, and you need to go somewhere to test it.

Where's a good place to go? How built up is the area around DC -- are there patches of farmland, fields, things like that? From poking around on the Internet, the Patuxent wildlife refuge looks like it might be a good place, but I don't know if it would have too many people around (not to mention being so close to Fort Meade).

West Virginia? A lot of Maryland 1 hour drive north of DC has big open spaces. I've never been to the wildlife refuge, so can't speak to that area. But if said person drives 1 hour north, and maybe a bit west, he can probably find some pretty empty areas.

Ahhhhh, I had forgotten that there's quite a bit of wildness in that direction! I think a lot of my difficulty is in figuring out somewhere they can get fairly quickly, because it's suggested that they're under a lot of time pressure at this point in canon, and probably wouldn't really go out of their way just to do a test flight. Also, they don't seem too worried in canon about someone seeing them, so it didn't really seem in character to have them do a LOT of wandering around in search of somewhere. However, it's good to know it's an option; I'll poke at maps a bit and see what I can come up with. :D

I can't help but I love this question, because I'm imagining it as a real circumstance - "Let's say that, oh, say, someone has stolen a jetpack, that they need to test out. You know. Hypothetically. I'm asking for a friend..."

.... seriously, I think this is one of the reasons why I so love canons that blend sci-fi/fantasy elements with the real world, that sense of "there is something really cool happening right over there!"

Ooh, ooh, I know this one! Yes, that totally works. I've been there a couple of times and there's only ever been a few people around. Also, to the south-west (opposite side from Fort Meade) is the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, and that's basically a bunch of empty fields (and home to Goatman). And then next to that there's the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. And then there's me :-) Let me know if you have any other local questions!

Thank you! \o/ In the end, I decided to back away from using a specific place because I was sure I'd mess it up, so I just went with some random field in an unspecified location. XD However, I will TOTALLY hit you up for DC area questions in the future, if you don't mind! :D :D (If I keep writing this fandom, I expect I will have more than a few ...)

ETA: And if I end up with some kind of geographic impossibility in a fic that you happen to notice, don't hesitate to point it out to me. :D Well, that's generally true across the board when I make factual mistakes - I want to know!

I am totally at your disposal for local questions (although I selfishly hope that this new fandom won't suck you away from WC)! Incidentally I'll probably be in Fairbanks for about a month sometime this fall. If you're into meeting random strangers from the internet (and live anywhere nearby) I'd love to meet up with you. Don't worry if you're not -- I won't mention it again!

Oh wow, I would LOVE to meet up! :D It's so rare for fellow fan-people to be in my neck of the woods! Please do let me know when you're in the area and we'll have to get coffee/lunch/whatever, and I can show you some of the sights (not that we really have any sights). But yeah, that would be fantastic!

Yay! \o/ I'm looking forward to it too! No one EVER comes here; usually if I want to meet people I've met via online fandom, I have to go to them, so this is a special treat. :) My email is layla@ravenschildren.com, or you can pm me/leave a comment/etc. to get in touch. :D

I'm going to be out of town for a couple of weeks in October (exact dates tba) but if you're up here for a month, there should be no problem both of us being in town for at least SOME of that time.

I've only once IRL met a Helen who wasn't 50 years older than me or 30 years younger; but we seem to be all over cyberspace!

RE: Greenbelt - yup, moved to GHI (from Bladensburg) when I was 5; graduated from ERHS in the mid-80s, then moved north for college, then back into a series of condos on Greenbelt Rd. in my early 20s before heading back up to Massachuetts for graduate school in 1990. In the early 1980s I was quite fannish (for a teen) - went to Balticon and Disclave and Shoreleave, hung out with Markland as much as it would let me.

OK this is weeks later (I'm slow) but I wonder if the reason that you meet so many Helens in cyberspace is because they're British? I went to school in England as a kid (Sholio I must warn you, I have a British accent, but I'm not a supervillain, I swear!), we're about the same age, and Helen was one of the top names over there. I had 4 Helens in my class at one point.

I'm in GHI now (Ridge Rd), backing onto the woods & BARC (where jetpacks may or may not be tested).